First Look at Paul Walter Hauser as Mole Man in Marvel’s ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Revealed

Note: This post contains potential spoilers for Marvel’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

The first look at Paul Walter Hauser as Harvey Elder, a.k.a. Mole Man, has been revealed from Marvel’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

In the image, Walter Hauser is seen as Mole Man, but the cape is missing. Recently, the official prequel comic Fantastic Four: First Steps #1 also revealed the comic version of Mole Man. In Marvel Comics, “Mole Man was the first bad guy faced by the Fantastic Four in the debut issue of their 1961 comic book, a nuclear engineer who led a race of subterranean creatures and monsters.”

Speaking to USA Today, director Matt Shakman said, the MCU version of Harvey Elder is “really more of a union boss than a supervillain.” He added, “He’s all about community, and that’s why Sue and Harvey have a good relationship and they get along. They understand each other.”

Hauser said that the comic version is “vicious and heinous and unrelenting,” while his character is aligned with humanity. “He is living sort of in the shadows like a villain would, but he’s also taking care of an entire race of people and trying to live his life without being bothered.”

Here’s the plot details for The Fantastic Four: First Steps:

Set against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, Marvel Studios’ The Fantastic Four: First Steps introduces Marvel’s First Family — Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), Ben Grimm/The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), and Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Joseph Quinn) — as they face their most daunting challenge yet. Forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, they must defend Earth from a ravenous space god named Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and his enigmatic Herald, the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner). And if Galactus’ plan to devour the entire planet and everyone on it weren’t bad enough, things suddenly get very personal.

The film also stars Walter Hauser, Natasha Lyonne, and Sarah Niles. Directed by Shakman, produced by Kevin Feige, and executive produced by Louis D’Esposito, Grant Curtis, and Tim Lewis.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps hits theaters and IMAX on July 25, 2025.

Source: USA Today